Arducopter 2.8.1 is now in the mission planner and in the downloads area! Remember to do your MP configuration again after loading this code, since it erases your EEPROM and sets it to the new defaults.
Note: Issues with APM1 user's level feature not working are now resolved. If you installed 2.8 we highly recommend you upgrade to 2.8.1 as 430 extra bytes of RAM have been freed up which reduces the chance of memory corruption (although we haven't seen any cases of this on the APM2 at least) .
Note #2: this release has not gone out for Traditional Helicopters until they can be tested fully. Flip and Toy mode have also not been fully tested.
Improvements over 2.7.3:
- Improved ACRO mode (Leonard Hall)
- Improved stability patch to reduce "climb-on-yaw" problem (Leonard, Rob Lefebvre, Randy)
- Rate controller targets moved to body frames (yaw control now works properly when copter is inverted) (Leonard/Randy)
- Less bouncy Stabilize yaw control (Leonard)
- OpticalFlow sensor support for APM2.5 (Randy)
- DMP works again by adding "#define DMP_ENABLED ENABLED" to APM_Config.h You can also log DMP vs DCM to the dataflash by adding "#define SECONDARY_DMP_ENABLED ENABLED" (Randy)
- Watch dog added to shutdown motors if main loop feezes for 2 seconds (Randy)
- Thrust curve added to linearize pwm->thrust. Removes deadzone found above 90% throttle in most ESC/motors (Randy)
- More timing improvements (main loop is now tied to MPU6000s interrupt) (Randy)
- GPS NMEA bug fix (Alexey Kozin)
- Logging improvements (log I terms, dump all settings at head of dataflash log) (Jason)
Bug Fixes / Parameter changes:
- fixed skipping of last waypoint (Jason)
- resolved twitching when no GPS attached (Tridge)
- fixed loss of altitude if alt hold is engaged before first GPS lock (Randy/Jason)
- moved Roll-Pitch I terms from Stabilize controllers to Rate controllers
- TILT_COMPENSATION param tuned for TradHeli (Rob)
Code Cleanup:
- HAL changes for platform portability (Pat Hickey)
- Removed INSTANT_PWM (Randy)
As per usual PIDs are optimised for the 3DR/jDrones quad with 850 motors and 10" props. If you're using more powerful motors/props and are seeing bad flight behaviour in stabilize, start by turning down Rate Roll P in 25% steps.
Please note that on this release we've moved the Roll and Pitch I terms from the Stabilize controller to the Rate controller. There's some evidence that says this can lead to flips on take-off if you move the roll or pitch sticks around as you take-off so we recommend you leave these sticks in the middle until you're in the air.
Please feel free to report issues you find in the discussion below and/or add them to the issues list.
Thanks and enjoy!
Replies
What difference would you notice between using a 800kv motor compared to a 900Kv motor? Which is preferable for a larger size quad and why?
Today, the weather was fine to do some mission tests.
All went great. Even the circle loiter was very precise.
Is it possible to change the speed the quad does the circle?
One small thing that didn't always work was the auto take off.
So first WP is "Take off" to 10m. I armed the quad, put the tx in "auto mode" and give some throttle. The firts time the quad barely lifted off and was just hovering a bit and jumping arround. I took over and landed, disarmed and restarted the mission. Second time it went straight up to 10m.
A couple of missions later I retried auto take of and again it wouldn't work. Even with restarting the mission and rewriting it.
It only worked whe I manualy lifted of just from the ground and switching to "auto".
Could there be a parameter that is just in between?
Dear Developers!
I think i found something in the MTK libs can you look into this?
http://diydrones.com/forum/topics/mysterious-waas-on-sequence-in-cu...
So long
Kraut Rob
I noticed in the lateset MP that the ch7 auto leveling option is now changed with trim leveling. When will this be implemented in the software?
I have been using APM for a long time now... 2.8.1 is the bomb...
Its reliable enough to fly at an oil refinery and do a flare stack inspection at 325 feet….. no problem..
mostly FPV with 5.8 diversity... Very nice stuff
Made enough money to get more APM, motors, ESC… ect..
Eddie Weeks
www.jetlens.com
I'm running 2.8.1 and I am having difficulty using the ch6 pid tuning feature. The pot adjusts values during tuning, this is noticeable but when I refresh parmeters it defaults to the min value set. The pot is about 50% so the min value is not correct.
I flew APM1/AC2.8.1 today on an auto mission. At the end of the mission, the copter switched automagically to loiter, and then descended to the ground unexpectedly. Unfortunately, there was a cattle corral and fence where the mission ended, so it descended into a fence. The 3DR frame held up very well, with only tiny nicks in one of the props (still serviceable)
As the copter makes clear to me that it is going to land, I switch modes and gun the throttle but it is too late to stop the "landing" - Video: http://youtu.be/Yvm24E2gOxo (when uploaded/processed)
A question, since I've been focused away from AC lately:
- At the end of an auto mission, what is the expected behavior? I expect it to switch to loiter and remain there until told to do something different, or until a failsafe triggers.
The log file is attached, if there are any kindly souls out there who want to examine this, help me with a second set of eyes to determine why it descends. I suspect some issue with Alt Hold is at play here, that it should have hovered, thinks it is hovering, but could not, for some reason. Clearly it can maintain altitude, since the entire mission is: stabilize into a hover, switch to auto, flies the mission, switches to loiter on it's own, and immediately begins to descend, I begin flipping switches and powering up, and it "lands". Landed well, though....I was happy about that.
Oh, up to 25Mph gusts today, but it flew *very* well, until the very end.
2012-12-01 14-53-35.tlog
Still had the same bad wobble and nearly flipped over when I loaded 2.8.1 on my hex yesterday when using defaults.
Also the new version of Mission Planner now has to many drop down menus. See related post link below. Its also now missing the Pitch channel revers check box.
http://diydrones.com/forum/topics/mission-planner-1-2-25-to-many-dr...
HIL FG simulation for v2.8.1 now doesn't work at all, and the option to pick a previous firmware only allows v2.8.1, all the other options load v2.8.1.
Last my test change Altitude by APM Planner
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